A Deceiving Misconception
by Lolerskatez
Summary: You would think that "mail" and "male" would be easy to distinguish from. Not for Demyx apparently. RiSo and MarXem AU
1. In Which Riku Finds Himself Married

**Disclaimer::** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, don't you think there's be more RiSo moments?

* * *

"Mr. Austerlitz, you have a phone call."

I looked up from the paperwork strewn across my desk. My personal butler was standing in the doorway, his hands folded politely in front of him.

"Ah, thank you, Vexen. You can go now." I shooed him away with my hand

and picked up the receiver, pressing the flashing button on my office phone to take the call. It was amazing how my work seemed to drown out the rest of my life. "Riku Austerlitz speaking."

"Riku, darling!!"

"…" I can avoid all of this just by hanging up.

"Riku Leighton Austerlitz, don't you dare think about hanging up on me!"

"… Hello, Mother," I said, defeated. I should've realized that I wasn't going to get out of this quite that easy. It was my mother we were talking about. He never let someone out of his clutches once he set out to do something, and if he caught you, you could be as sure as hell you weren't getting out any time soon.

Oh, wait, did I forget to mention? My mother is a man. She happens to be the infamous Marluxia Austerlitz, married to the not as famous, but still well-know Xemnas Austerlitz. Maybe you've heard of them.

Before you jump to conclusions, no, my man of a mother did not get pregnant with me, no matter what he tells you. I'm adopted.

"Oh, Riri! I knew you loved me! It's an undeniable fact of li- Xemnas! Turn the volume down on the TV! … I said turn down the volume!" I could hear the phone being set down followed by a crash and a muffled scream. Knowning my mother, she'd just hit my father over the head with a vodka bottle.

… _Again_.

See? There's no way I'm related to them.

Don't get me wrong, they're my family, and I care deeply about them. It's just sometimes… Well, I'll give you some examples. My mother is a gay transvestite who just happens to be gender confused and who just happens to feel the need to constantly set me up with a variety of women from her social groups. My father, even at his age, can't keep it in his pants when said women are around, or anyone/anything aesthetically pleasing, really. That includes (by his standards) the pool boy, the floor lamp in the living room, anyone wearing knee socks, and sometimes even the glass pitcher we use at breakfast time for orange juice (hence my loathing towards any citrus).

The crème de la crème has to be my older brother, Demyx, however. He's… he's a piece of work, let's just say. Even though he's also adopted, you'd think he's related by blood what with the way he acts. He's a 1980's reject, to put it nicely. Demyx refuses to join the rest of us here in the 21st century and still has a poorly styled mullet and countless Ziggy Stardust-esque outfits. And the sad part? My mother encourages it. The man's 32 years old for God's sake! But I can't expect much from my mother, now can I? He wakes up and warms up to Lady Gaga. (Just so you know, seeing your mother of all people wearing nothing but stick-on rhinestones telling you he "wants to take a ride on your discostick" as he practically pole dances in front of you is a VERY traumatizing experience. Almost as bad as the orange juice. Almost.)

"Riri, are you even _listening_ to me??"

"Er, yes, Mother, what is it?" I said, putting a mental block on anything related to either of those incidents.

"Well, I have someone I want you to meet!"

I groaned internally. This was the third girl this week.

"Now, before you go and say you aren't interested, hear me out!" He said, realizing the silence he'd heard was never a good sign. "She's got _fantabulous_ credentials. Graduated top of her class from NYU, majored in design, blah, blah blah… Ooh! She's having her collection showcased next week! You should go, Riri! You and me! It'll be our bonding time! We never talk anymore, Riri. It makes Mommy sad that we don't talk anymore…"

In the 27 years of my life, I'd learned two very important things about my family. One, how to get out of watching Labyrinth with Demyx for the umpteenth time, and two, how to drown out my mother. Both were incredibly helpful tools. Now was an opportune time to use the latter. As my flamboyant mother rambled on, I responded every now and then with a simple "That's very interesting, Mother" or "I see", not really paying attention to what it is he was saying as I made an effort to finish the rest of my paperwork. Halfway through what he was saying, there was a low beeping coming from the receiver, meaning there was a call waiting.

"Mother, it seems I have another call on the other line," I said, glad for any escape route.

He gasped audibly. "You're hanging up on me to talk with some stranger? What happened to blood is thicker than water??"

"I'm a businessman, Mother. This could be quite important."

"But-!"

"Goodbye, Mother." I hung up and pressed the flashing button on the phone that said "Call Waiting". "Riku Austerlitz speaking," I said. At this rate, I was never going to finish the business deals this week, let alone by tomorrow.

"Riku! Wassup?"

I knew that voice. It haunted me in my dreams, along with the Goblin King.

"What do you want, Demyx?" I asked. Why was my family suddenly calling me all at once?

"Is that any way to talk to your older bro?" Demyx was whining yet again. The man could win a metal for it.

"I'm a busy man, Demyx. Spit it out."

"All right, all right, God…" He said, muttering something I couldn't make out. "Anyway, you know how Mom thinks you're never going to find a wife and you're going to die a cold and lonely death?"

"Your delicacy about the situation is amazing," I said, sarcasm radiating out of his receiver.

"Moving on! You know how she keeps setting you up with all these different girls?"

"… Demyx, you do realize our mother is a man, right?"

"NO SHE ISN'T! … Anyway, you're gonna love me for this!"

Oh, dear God.

"Demyx, what did you do?" I looked up from my desk upon hearing the double doors open with a click. A figure in a soft pink sundress stood in my doorway, head bowed and hands folded quietly in front of them.

"Meet your new wife!"

I couldn't breathe, but I could feel my face becoming red.

"Well, what do you think?" Demyx asked. My mind had completely frozen over, the phone still glued stupidly to my ear. Once I'd picked my jaw off the floor, I started trembling.

"Demyx…" I said, trying my best to keep calm. "I understand your intentions were nothing but benign, but I think you've overlooked one minor detail."

"Oh?" He said. "What's that?"

"MY NEW 'WIFE' IS A _MAN_, YOU IDIOT!"

"What??" Demyx practically screamed. "That's not what the website said!"

"Website?" I said, practically breathing fire now. "You got this… this man off the internet??"

"It said that Sora was a mail-order bride!" Demyx said defensively.

"Sora? Who's Sora?"

"Your new wife!"

I could feel my blood pressure escalating. "Demyx, I had no say in this, so let me make one thing clear: HE IS NOT MY WIFE!"

"B-but… But look at her! She's so pretty! Or in her language, Ikegami-san wa kirei desu!"

"Demyx…" I said, shaking. "I don't care how kirei the freaking Emperor is! What compelled you to go and-"

"A-Ahsuteritsu-sama," came a voice from the front of my office.

"What?" I snapped, looking up. I took a quick breath in. Sure, I'd seen the person to walk into my office, but I hadn't really looked at him. Hair the color of dulce de leche, but in spikes like a medieval torture device. A pair of baby blue eyes were hiding under his mocha tresses, a light pink blush on his cheeks. My frustration immediately melted. There was something so… so innocent about the man in front of me.

"Hey, Demyx?" I said into the receiver. "I'll call you back."

Without waiting for him to respond, I hung up and walked over to the pink dress-clad man (who was most certainly not my wife).

"Um, Sora, correct?" I asked, not sure what to do in a situation like this. I could feel a cold sweat forming on my forehead. This was not good. There was a tap on my forearm. I looked down, only to see that Sora was handing me a letter, bowing as he held it out to me with both of his hands. I accepted the letter and proceeded to open it. I was expecting it to be pink and girly, what with the "mail-order bride" business.

What I wasn't expecting was the sudden surge of strong, floral perfume raging war against my nostrils. Trying not to breathe in the taste of Yardley English Rose, I pulled the letter out of its pink envelope. The letter itself was pink as well.

_Riri!_

_Ha, you love me, don't you? Admit it, I'm awesome. Not only did I get you __a hot trophy wife, but Mom won't bug you ever again, if you think about it! Haha. You like that? That's my "I'm totally awesome" laugh. I've been working on __it. Anyway, treat your new wife right, otherwise she just might get her green __card and leave you! Just kidding. (Or am I?) __Oh, and that reminds me, I should probably give you some background info _'_bout your new boo, huh? Her name's Sora Ikegami, she's 25, and she __doesn't speak a word of English! At least she can't nag you like Mom does, __eh? Plus, she's pretty hot, if I do say so myself. Don't worry, I won't __try to steal your wife or anything. Haha._

_Cowabunga, dude!_

_Demyx_

I was going to kill him.

I was going to kill him, throw his body to the wolves, and then burn his remains.

But I had to admit… Sora was decent-looking… for a man.

Something was off, though. The brunette just seemed so… sad. It was then that I started to regret my decision to take Mandarin instead of Japanese in middle school. I could hold an eloquent conversation in about four languages, minus English, but I'd never felt the need to learn Japanese.

I was going to kill him, but after I found out what was making this young la- er, man, so sad.

Rifling past the pie charts and sales data littering my desk, my eyes couldn't locate the small blue book anywhere. I opened the drawer, only to see that, lo and behold, there it was.

_Stop complaining: Monku iuna_

_Shut up: Damare_

_Go away: Acchi ni ike_

No, this wasn't what I was looking for. Helpful, yes, but not what I was looking for. I flipped a couple pages, thankful that finally the Japanese phrase book I'd bought originally intended for a business trip that never happened was being of use. I skimmed the pages until I found what I was looking for.

"Um… _doushita no_?" I asked, wincing as I completely butchered the pronunciation.

Sora looked up at me with a surprised look, but then looked down again and shook his head. "_Moushiwake arimasen deshita… Ome ni kakarete kouei desu, dema takushii o yonde kudasai._"

… _What?_

Sora's shoulders began to tremble as he started crying. I may be a bit withdrawn, but even I'm not heartless enough to turn away someone crying for reasons beyond my comprehension. That's just plain mean.

… Of course, being the withdrawn person that I am, I had no idea how to deal with crying people.

Oh, well. Here goes… everything.

"Uh… Th-there, there," I said awkwardly, avoiding looking directly at him.

_Stupid, go give her a hug!_

I blinked. That voice sounded too familiar for comfort.

_Don't just stand there. Move it!_

I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but I obliged. Or at least, I thought I was going to, until there was about four inches separating us. I hesitated. Should I really listen to this mysterious voice that seemed to be born out of thin air? For as long as I could remember, I'd never taken orders from formless beings. Would now be a good time to start?

"Riri, come on! Your wifey is crying! Console her!"

I could feel the vein in my forehead pulsing. Of _course_. This voice was no sentient being. In fact, it was the farthest thing from it.

"Demyx, get out from behind my ficus."

The blonde closed his eyes. "If I can't see you, you can't see me! Bahaha! Where do you think I am now, Rir-"

I threw the nearest blunt object, in this case, the Japanese dictionary already in my hand, at Demyx. It hit him square in the forehead, leaving a nicely sized bruise.

"Aw, fu-!" He cut himself off and glared at me as he rubbed his head. "You should be glad there's a lady in the room; otherwise I would've totally owned you with my leet ninja skills!"

"I'm not even going to ask," I said, rolling my eyes. It wasn't worth the trouble. Getting out from behind the ficus, Demyx walked over to the crying Sora and knelt down to be eye-level with him.

"_Mou nakanaide, ne_?" Demyx said with a smile. "_Genki o dashite! Hazukashigaranaide!"_

"_H-hai…"_ Sora said, smiling a little as he wiped his eyes.

"_Uweh, kawaii desu_!" Demyx squeeled, giddier than a schoolgirl. I arched my eyebrow at them. What were they talking about? And how'd Demyx, the King of the Oblivious, know exactly what to say?

"Mr. Austerlitz?" Vexen said, interrupting my thoughts by sticking his head into the room again, the rest of him outside in the hallway. "Your mother and father are here to see you."

"What?" I seemed to be saying that a lot today. "Send them up." Vexen nodded and left the room to go fetch my parents, leaving me to ponder at what could've compelled them to visit me right here, right now. I glanced over at Sora and Demyx. The two of them were talking rapid-fire in Japanese, identical goofy grins on their faces.

"Riri!" Demyx called me over, and I realized that I'd been staring at them. I walked over to the pair, a bit flustered, but kept my cool.

"Be nice to her, now, okay, Riri?" Demyx said, wagging his finger at me. This was ridiculous.

"Well, of course I'm going to be nice to him, but-"

"RIKU! MOMMY'S HERE!"

The air was squeezed out of me as my mother picked me up and hugged me. My father just stood off to the side and looked around my office.

"Marly, dear, I don't think he can breathe."

"Oopsie!" He said, dropping me. I inhaled deeply and straightened myself out. "Sorry 'bout that, Riri! I'm just so glad to see you're healthy and everything! Oh, and that reminds me, you'll never guess who your father and I ran into on our way here!"

I grimaced. _Please… Not… Not_ her.

"Larxene!" My mother said happily. "I remember how you said you loved your date last time, so I went ahead and set you guys up for Friday!"

"M-Mother..." I stuttered, the mere thought of the blonde making my knees weak. To be quite honest, Larxene Rousseau scared me, that one. There's just something scary about a ballerina, of all people, who sharpens her nails to a point and paints them black. I needed a scapegoat. Something. Anything.

And then I remembered something very, very important.

"I can't go on a date with Larxene, Mother," I said. This was probably going to come back and bite me later, but as they say, Carpe diem!

"And why is that?" She seemed a little surprised. Like she'd thought I actually wanted to go to dinner with Larxene.

I walked over to Sora and put my arm around his waist. "Mother, I'd like you to meet Sora, my wife."

* * *

**A/N::** Ohemgee, Chapter One is actually finished! I think I had the most fun writing the bits about Marly more than anything. xD Anyway, thanks to my lovely beta, Tellyounolies, for editing this and giving me lots and lots of suggestions! [Especially the dress bit! xDDD]


	2. In Which Sora is Welcomed

**Disclaimer::** I own Kingdom Hearts as much as Mansex does. :P

* * *

"Your _what_??" My mother screeched. I winced. For a man, he could hit some rather high notes…

"My wife," I said calmly. "Now, Mother, I know I should've told you, but–"

"How could you not tell your own _mother _you got married!" he sobbed, burying his face in my father's shoulder. "You told _your_ mom when we got married, right?" Mother looked up at him expectantly. My father's blank expression and lack of words spoke for him. My mother blanched.

"There's no respect for women these days!" he said. Demyx and I exchanged looks. Mother was a diehard feminist and would take any opportunity to rant about the hardships women have faced over the centuries, how they were oppressed by the male gender, and how even today the blatant denial of every woman's civil rights still existed.

It was times like these that made me think that my mother liked to rant just to hear his own voice.

"Ah, Mommy!" Demyx said as he forced a smile onto his face and put his hands on our mother's shoulders. "I think I've come up with a solution for this problem!"

I flashed Demyx a look. "I think you come up with enough 'solutions' for one day–"

"They can get their vows renewed!"

A deafening silence fell across the room. I looked over at Demyx, my eye twitching.

I was _definitely_ kicking his ass later.

"_Ah… Daijoubu desu ka?_" Sora asked, waving a hand in front of my face. Mother suddenly grabbed Sora's hand, breaking everyone's trance.

"THAT'S IT!" Mother said, his passion revived. "A renewal of your vows! Why didn't I think of it before?" He grabbed Demyx into a bone crushing hug. "Demy, you're a genius! Mommy likes this plan! Mommy is _very _happy!"

"Mommy needs to let go so I can breathe!" Demyx wheezed, his face not unlike that of a Smurf.

"Oopsies! Sorry about that!" Composing himself, he continued where he'd left off. "It's settled then. Riri and his wife – Xemnas, get off the lamp – will have an _actual _wedding with all of their – Xemnas! I _said _get off the lamp! … Where was I? Oh, right. Where their _family _will be able to witness their holy union – Dammit, Xemnas!"

_Crack! _Father's unconscious body was lying at the feet of my mother. I blanched as Demyx and Sora hid behind the ficus.

"Mother, I hope you plan to replace that figurine. It's Swarovski," I said, picking up the remnants of what _was _a crystal lion.

"No, it's broken," Demyx said from behind the plant. "God, Riri, for a smart guy, you're pretty stupid!"

_... Bloodlust rising… Toleration dwindling…_

"Ooh, I can't wait!" Mother said, completely ignoring what we'd just said as he submerged himself into his own little fantasies. "I know _just _the place to have it! I'll do the flowers, I'm pretty sure Uncle Luxie won't mind being our bartender, and – Oh, there's just so much to do and so little time!"

"_Doushita no?_" Sora asked as he and Demyx walked over to me.

"Uh… _Wa-wakarimasen,_" he replied with a nervous smile on his face. Even without a translator, I could tell by his expression that he was utterly clueless.

"Hmmm…" Mother said, examining Sora's flustered face from a two centimeter distance. There was no way this could end well. "Clear skin, healthy hair, _beautiful _eyes, there's just one thing missing." He smacked a hand down on Sora's chest with a dull thud. "Boobs."

"M-_Mother!_" Of _all _people to say such a thing…

"What??" He said, not caring that Sora was obviously uncomfortable with this strange she-man feeling him up. "I'm just stating the facts!"

"Mother, you know I don't care for that sort of thing," I said, feeling my face heat up. He blinked, face blank. I brought my palm to my face.

"Yeah, Riri only cares about useless things!" Demyx said as he spun around in my office chair. "Like college diplomas and connections. Pshaw!"

"Is it my fault, Riri? Is it my fault you don't think you can be with the beautiful people in life? Am I just too much for you to handle?" Mother asked as he struck a pose.

_You have no idea_.

"This is terrible!" He put a hand to his forehead. Mother had always been one for dramatics. "The beauty that God has graced me with is the cause of my son's lack of libido! Oh, how to go on?? I think I might-!"

"Actually, Mother," I said, pointing at my comatose father. "It's Father's overabundance of said libido." Mother froze mid-rant.

"S-so, are you saying… I'm _not _beautiful?" He said, turning his head slowly towards me.

"Demyx," I whispered to him, taking a glance at my unstable mother every so often. "Take Sora and run."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he said, turning to the brunette. "_Kinasai, Sora-chan!_" He grabbed his hand and made a run for it.

They got to about the door before all hell broke loose.

"OH, WOE IS MEEEE!" Mother sobbed, throwing himself on the floor and throwing a tantrum reminiscent of a three-year-old's. "MY OWN _CHILDREN _DON'T LOVE THEIR MOMMY!" As my mother showed us a prime example of what a pink-haired transvestite having a seizure would look like, the large bangle he'd been wearing flew off his wrist. Sora caught it easily and gave it a quizzical look, surprisingly calm for someone who was witnessing what looked like an exorcism.

"Riri, do something!" Demyx yelled over my mother's earsplitting sobs.

"You're the favorite!" I yelled back.

"_Ah, sumimasen,_" Sora said who was suddenly crouching next to my mother, holding the bracelet in his hands. "_Mahrushia Ahsuteritsu desu ka?_" Mother lifted his head from the floor and blinked at Sora.

"… _What?_" (Where have I seen this before?)

Sora held up the bangle. "_Mahrushia Ahsuteritsu_," he said, finger pointing to the engraving on the bangle and then at my mother.

"Well, of _course _I'm Marluxia Austerlitz! Who else would I be? The Queen of Czechoslovakia?"

"Technically," I said, unable to control myself from correcting my mother. "Now it's become the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but even during the period in which it _was _Czechoslovakia, the government was communist, not a monarchy-"

"Riku Leighton, now is _not _a time to be smart with your mommy!" I blanched, but Sora's face broke out in an ear-to-ear grin.

"_Aa odoroita!_" Sora said, standing up and still smiling as he bowed at Mother. "_Fleur no dai-fan desu!_" He reached into the front of his dressand pulled out a pendant dangling from the brass chain around his neck. A Lucite orange blossom hung from it. Mother's eyes lit up.

"Th-that's from my collection!" He said, more surprised than anything. "The orange blossom necklace from _Fleur_…"

"Yeah, Sora said she's a big fan," Demyx said with a smile. "Just like me!" (Suck up.)

"And since your fans are present," I said, cutting in. "Don't you think it would be wise to straighten yourself out and present yourself as the ingenious designer and owner of _Fleur_?" Something must've clicked inside Mother's head because he jumped up with renewed passion.

"Yes, you're right, Riri!" he said with determination. Mother turned to Sora and grabbed his shoulders. "Do you know what the orange blossom means, darling Sora?" He didn't wait for a response and continued as he paced around the room in long strides, gesticulating wildly. "It means'Your purity equals loveliness. Innocence. Eternal love.'" Mother, who was now directly across from Sora on the other side of the room, pointed dramatically at the brunette. "A woman with those qualities… Why, I'd be a fool to try and stop this holy union!" Mother crossed the room in four long strides and took Sora in his arms, rubbing his face against his. "So instead of calling me your idol, just call me 'Mommy' from now on, okay, darling Sora?"

"Mother," I said, rubbing my temple. "Sora doesn't speak a word of English-"

"Yay! We got Mommy's approval!" Demyx said, jumping up and down as he pumped his fists in the air.

"'_We _got'??" I yelled at him, forgetting all about my mother and my "wife". "You didn't do anything! In fact, if it weren't for you, this whole situation would've never happened!"

"But that's where you're wrong, little Riri!" Demyx said, an evil glint in his eyes. "_I'm_ not the one who decided to get married without Mommy's say-so."

The visit concluded with Demyx's screams of terror and a trip to Wal-Mart for some steak to stop the swelling.

* * *

There were five of us crammed into my father's Corvette. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, Mother wanted to show Sora his newest line of necklaces and get his opinion on them. (Forgetting of course that Sora spoke no English whatsoever, but I digress.) The reason _I _was stuck in between a black-and-blue David Bowie wannabe and a cross-dressing hyper-active (but clueless) foreigner was because I'd beaten the afore mentioned wannabe for being a complete and utter _idiot_-

"Moooom!" the idiot whined. "Riri's making scary faces at me again!"

"Riku Leighton," Mother said from the passenger seat. "Stop making faces at your brother. You know how fragile he is."

_Fragile my_-

"Mooom! He's still making those scary faces! Call the priest! Tell him we need an exorcism, stat! Riri's possessed by-!"

"Shut it, miscreant." Demyx shrank into his seat, his eyes (well, eye, seeing as the other one was swollen to the point where he couldn't open it) wide beyond belief.

"M-M-Mom… S-save me…"

"_K-kowai…_" Great. Now Demyx _and _Sora were cowering in fear from me.

"Hey… A Camaro…"

"DAMMIT, XEMNAS, NOW IS _NOT _THE TIME FOR THAT!"

_Please… Take me now…_

* * *

The wrought-iron gates of the Austerlitz Manor opened slowly as the cherry red Corvette and all its passengers drove in. Sora's eyes were alight as he gazed out the window with child-like wonder.

"Do you like it?" I asked, trying (and failing miserably) to make small talk. The sudden quietness that had gripped everyone in the car upon entering the manor was a bit…unnerving, to say the least.

"_Utsukushii desu_!" Sora chirruped, turning to me and smiling broadly. It reminded me of this one time I (sarcastically) told Demyx I had David Bowie's personal number at my disposal.

…Of course, seeing as we were all buckled in, Sora couldn't _possibly _jump up and strip me bare of everything (and I mean _everything_), just to see that I didn't even have a _phone_, much less David Bowie's number. But I digress. (I've been doing that a lot lately. Must be Demyx's fault. I'll have to beat him later…)

"Welcome to your new home, Sora darling!" My mother said as Father parked in one of the numerous garages. "Do you love it? Bahaha, of _course _you do! Come along, children, out of the car!"

"Welcome home, Mrs. Austerlitz," a butler said as he opened the car door for the (drag) queen of the universe. "Did you enjoy your visit to-"

"Cut the crap, Xehanort, we have a feast to plan!" Mother said, waving his arms around extravagantly.

"Oh? You have guests, Mrs. Austerlitz?" Xehanort said, just barely missing Mother's flailing arms.

"Yes!" Mother said, running over to Sora and me as we stepped out of the car. He put his arms around our necks. "It's Riri and his new _fiancée_!" You'd think _he _was the one getting married, the way he was talking about it…

"Congratulations, Mr. Riku. She's quite a looker."

"That's what I said!" Demyx practically fell out of the car in his frenzy. "See. Riri? I _do _have good taste!"

"Riri, what is Demy talking about?" Mother looked at me expectantly, her voice pleasant, but her eyes ready to kill.

"Nothing," I said a bit too quickly. "_Right,_ Demyx?" I turned my head to him and our eyes met. _Say _anything _about the Internet and I will castrate you, _I mouthed to him.

Demyx froze. "M-Mommy?" He said, slowly turning his head back to our parents. "I… I think I'm going to go ice my Internet- _KNEE!_ I meant knee!" Demyx didn't even look at me before he took off running into the manor screaming bloody murder. My parents remained as calm as ever and my father even followed him without so much as a bye. This kind of thing was normal.

"_Ima doko dakke_?" Sora asked with a broad smile on his face as he looked up at me. I rubbed the back of my neck and looked to my mother for some help.

"Come along, Sora darling!" He said, linking arms with the brunette and sashaying off. "I've got so much to show you! Your new bedroom, your new wardrobe, your new car-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _wait,_" I said, stopping the two men from leaving. "Mother, you've known Sora for approximately four hours. How do you know her-"

"Style?" Mother cut in. "I know everyone's style! It's _fabulous._ And who knows _fabulous _better than your own Mommy? …Well, Riri?" I sighed. There was no getting through to this she-man.

"I was going to say size, but…" Mother cut me off.

"Be a good fiancé and go show Sora around!" he said, shoving the dress-clad man at me. "I'm going to go check on the dinner preperations! Ta**-**ta!" And with that, Mother skipped off into the manor, his manslave – ah, excuse me, his _servant_– followed suit. That left the two of us, Sora and me, outside; Sora against my chest and my hands holding onto his upper arms. (Which, might I note, are quite bony. Mother won't like this.)

"Er, sorry about my mother," I said letting go of Sora's arm. Taking a step back, I rubbed the back of my neck as I looked over at him through the corner of my eyes. "I'm not related to them, I swear. Well, Demyx isn't either but-!"

"_Omoshirokunai_," Sora said with a giggle, showing the first signs of actually _enjoying _his stay here in America. To say I was surprised was fairly accurate.

… That is, until I felt my face heat up. That's when all hell broke loose in my conscience.

_He's a man! A _man_! You may have the same last name as him, but you are _not _about to drop to Demyx's level and think he's a she! Nonononono!_

… My inner conscience seemed to be having some anger issues today.

… Childish anger issues. (I blame Demyx. The idiocy he radiates is contagious.)

"Hey, wait a minute!" I said suddenly. "_Mother _was supposed to show you around! He _did _say he was going to show you around, didn't he?"

"Well, you did cut him off."

"_He _said he was going to do it," I said, surprisingly angry at my mother. "Then he just dumps it on _me _instead and goes off on his fruity little way! What kind of parent does tha- Wait, did you just speak English?" I looked at the brunette, having snapped out of my fire-breathing rant mode. Sora stared back at me, his baby blues as innocent as ever as he raised his index finger to his mouth and said;

"_Himitsu desu._"

* * *

**A/N:** Here it is! Finally, after waaay too long with too little time, I've finished the second chapter that everyone's been waiting for! There's even a lovely cliff hanger for all you people! :D *is shot by angry readers*

But in all seriousness [well, as serious as you can get with his kind of story], I've slowly come to realize that Marluxia and Demyx remind me creepily of Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club. A _lot. _Marly would be the narcissistic, dramatic side and Demyx would be the idiotic side…?

Special thanks to Oathy for meticulously beta-ing this for me and giving me deliriously good advice! Where would I be without you? :D

Anyway, I've dragged this author's note on way too much, so peace everyone! vn___n


	3. In Which Marluxia Goes Crazy

**Disclaimer:: **If I owned Kingdom Hearts, all this would've been cannon by now.

* * *

"Riri? Riiiiiiiriiiiii! Are you dead?"

I felt something repeatedly jab me in my temple, my side, and then up my nose.

That's where I drew the line.

"Wh-what the-!" My eyes flew open, only to be met with a familiar pair of baby blues and that voice—oh, that _voice—_that had haunted me for 27 years.

"Riri! You're alive!" Demyx said, throwing the stick he'd used to poke me with over his shoulder. He threw his arms around me in a life-squeezing hug. (He'd probably learned that and how to walk in heels from Mother.)

"I thought you were dead!" The mullet-head wailed, rubbing his face against mine as he sobbed. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" In any other situation, I would've slapped Demyx upside the head and told him to grow a pair, but I was just a _little_ too shell-shocked from the fact that-

"Sora speaks English!" I uncharacteristically blurted out. There was an awkward silence, filled only by my heavy breathing echoing off the walls of the garage we were still in.

"Well, duh," Demyx said, giving me a dull look as he let go of me. He took a step back and scratched the back of his head. "You sure you're the smart one, Riri? 'Cause after today, I'm really starting to think that maybe Mom and Dad give you more credit than-"

"But you said-!" I couldn't think of anything to say as I searched haphazardly through the pockets of my suit pants and Oxford shirt. I whipped out the toxic floral letter and shoved it into my older brother's face.

"Ooh, what's that?" Demyx asked, giddy with curiosity. "Some letter from a lady friend of yours? I wish _I _had a lady friend. Maybe then we could ride Sasha, my purple unicorn, onto Captain Fabio's pirate ship-"

"Cut the crap." Now was _not _the time for that glam-rock wannabe to go off on one of his fantasy-ridden monologues involving _pirate ships_, of all things. However, it _had _given me a moment to compose myself and think clearly. "This," I said, holding the letter between my index finger and thumb, "is the letter I received upon meeting Sora. In it, it states, and I quote." I opened up the letter and read directly from it. "'_She doesn't speak a word of English_.'" Looking up from the letter, I focused my gaze on Demyx again. "How do you explain that blatant contradiction?" Another eerie silence enveloped the garage as the mood shifted from a lighthearted one to one of utter seriousness.

"… You know," Demyx said, being the first to break the silence. His voice had lost its childish twang and instead sounded like the voice that a mature 32-year-old _should've _had. "You still got that attorney streak in you. You should really think about going back."

"That part of my life's over, Demyx," I said, looking away from him. "You and I both know that. Now answer the question; why did you tell me Sora can't speak any English when he obviously can?"

…

"Well, I never said that she'd speak English to _you_."

…

For the second time that day, screams of pain were uttered from Demyx's mouth.

* * *

I walked into my parents' home, leaving Demyx to deteriorate in the garage. The suffocating aroma of month-old fruitcake immediately hit me full force, the overpowering stench plaguing the air. (Yup, I'm home.) The memories that came with the smell were a plentiful, but I couldn't appreciate them at the moment. Something much more important was on my mind.

"Ah, Xehanort," I said, motioning at the frantically walking butler. He walked over and bowed quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Austerlitz?" He said hurridly.

"I can see you're in a rush, so I'll be quick about this," I said, looking over his head. "Have you seen Sora? I um… I've seemed to lost him- _her_, I meant _her_!" (This whole charade may very well be the death of me. Dear Lord.)

"Mrs. Austerlitz is with her, I believe. Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, I must attend to the dinner preparations." And with that, our graying butler was off. I breathed a sigh of relief. Sora was still here. He didn't leave.

"_Y-you speak English??" A look of shock crossed my face; one that was _never _seen on me._

"_Riku, I can explain," the brunette said, touching my arm. I pulled back like he'd just burned me._

"_I… I think I'm going to take a nap…" My eyes rolled back in my head and my vision became blurred. The last thing I remembered wasn't hitting the ground, but rather something soft and warm cradling my head._

I grimaced. Sora probably thought that I was a complete and utter _fool_, if not crazy. It would take a lot of explaining to set things straight. (But hey, we're getting married; we have until death do us part.)

* * *

_Knock knock knock!_

I set down the book I was holding on my bed and walked over to open the door. I nearly fell over when I saw who it was. (Thank God for my natural balance and gymnastics. … Don't give me that look. You're talking to the man whose mother is Marluxia.)

"Hello, Riri-san!" Sora said with a bright smile as he held up a tray with two steaming cups. "I've brought sustenance!"

"S-sustenance?" I stuttered. (In the words of Demyx, "FAILURE.")

Sora nodded, his café locks bouncing with his bobbing head. "I believe they're also called beverages? Well, in this case, it'd be jasmine tea…" He trailed off, looking down at the steaming cups, a quizzical look flashing over his porcelain face. (There was something pitifully adorable about it. Like a dying cat.)

"Ah, er, thank you, Sora," I said, taking one of the cups. I stood out of the doorway and motioned into my room. "Would you like to come in?" I asked. (And before any of you fangirls get any wrong ideas about this, I was just trying to be a gentleman and _not_, I repeat, _not_ get into his pants. At all. Riku's inner-mind rant, end.)

"Thank you!" Sora said, grinning widely again. (That grin was also going to be the death of me. I must've been a cat in a previous life. It would explain my aversion to canines and Uncle Saix.) He sauntered into the room with as much grace as any woman I'd ever seen, and it was hard not to, well, _look_.

"Drink up!" The brunette said, smashing our cups together. I nearly dropped it as my focus suddenly had to come back to Sora's face and not his, ahem, _ass_ets. While I had caught the cup, some of the tea had spilled over the edge and splattered onto the front of Sora's pink dress, staining it a light brown.

"Oh no!" Sora said, looking down at his dress. "And this one was my favorite, too…"

"It's completely my fault," I said, trying to find something to soak up the tea before the stain set. Finding nothing, I sighed. "Um, would you like something else to wear?" I asked, scratching the back of my head. "They might be a little big on you, but I have some extra pants and shirts…"

"Oh, that's okay!" Sora said with a goofy smile as he put his hands behind his head. "Dresses and things like this make me feel pretty! I like wearing them!" I raised my eyebrows at him and just looked at him. Then, for the first time in a long time… I smiled. Not the smile I give the women Mother sets me up with, but a genuine smile.

Sora's eyes widened ever so slightly, and then he smiled back. The door opened as a sleepy looking Demyx walked into the room.

"Hey, Riri, Sora, come down for din- OH, SHIT! PREMARITAL SEX! _PREMARITAL SEX_! MOOOOOOOOOM!"

* * *

Sora and I were sitting next to each other on the couch as my mother paced back and forth in front of us. The tension in the air was palpable.

"I'm _very _disappointed in you, Riku Leighton," Mother said. "I… I thought I brought you up better than that!"

"Mother, we weren't even _doing_ anything. We were just _looking_ at each other," I reasoned.

"And it's not like Sora has an STD or anyth-" Demyx started, but was cut off by our over-the-top mother.

"_QUIET! _I _AM THE OVERLORD HERE!_" He said, pointing an accusatory finger at Demyx. Demyx physically shrunk in his seat after letting out an _ever-so-manly _squeak.

"Ahem. Now, where was I?" Mother said, straightening out his hair. "Ah, right." He turned to Sora and me. "Riku Leighton, you of all people should know that premarital sex is… is a _sin._"

I blanked. My _gay _mother was _preaching_ to me and I couldn't do anything about it because once again, he'd managed to catch himself up in his own little world where Sora was a woman and Demyx _wasn't _a loser. Now I'd seen everything.

"Well, they're technically married," Demyx said scratching his head as he threw me an apologetic look. Like _that _was going to fix anything. "So I _guess _it's all right for them to fu-"

"_GOD WILL SMITE THEE, O EVIL ONE_!" My mother said in a booming voice as he slapped Demyx upside the face.

"Uh… Welcome to the family," I said rubbing the back of my neck as I looked at (a very scared-looking) Sora.

* * *

**A/N: **This is the shortest chapter out of the three! Oh noes! Oh well, at least I finally got it out. I had the most fun writing this one, particularly because I got in-person help from my favorite muse/plot!bunny bouncer, AxelsWaterBaby. (She's rocking out to Cupid Shuffle right now. xD) Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next installment! (Which hopefully won't take as long as this one did! bn____nd)


	4. In Which Demyx Screws Up

**Disclaimer:: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts. [For now… e___e]

* * *

I woke to the sound of screaming.

Now before you jump to any conclusions, no, it wasn't Demyx.

It was Mother.

"Riri! Riri! Wake up! You're about to be struck by a flying vehicle!" Mother's shrill voice cut through the air as I felt a pair of hands grab me and basically shake the life out of me.

"Mother, you and I both know that airplanes are the only mode of airborne transportation to be invented as of now, so kindly stop shouting in my ear," I said groggily, burying my head underneath my pillow with little success.

"Riku Leighton! Don't be racist!"

"How is that racist??"

"You're ignoring the contributions the aliens have made to our society! I'm sure they would be very offended by your small-mindedness!"

… _That doesn't even deserve a remark._

"Mother," I said, resisting the urge to smack someone as I sat up in my bed. I could feel my eyebrow twitching as I continued, my voice as polite and pleasant as possible. "I pray that the only reason you came up here wasn't to preach to me about the oppression of our extraterrestrial friends?"

"No! Even better!" Mother said, jumping up and down. "We're going to be on T.V.!" I blinked.

_Please, _please_ don't tell me he's-_

"I've set up an interview for you and Sora today! You're going to announce your wedding to the world! Isn't this exciting??"

_Yup, he did._

I sighed and fell back onto my bed. It was going to be a long day…

* * *

"Sora," I said, glancing at my watch as I knocked on the door to the guest room. "Sora, you need to wake up. We have to be somewhere." Footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. I waited as it opened, revealing a drowsy brunette.

"_Ima doko dakke_?" He asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. I blushed and looked away. Mother had let Sora borrow some pajamas since his luggage hadn't arrived yet. So of course, a drowsy brunette in a pink negligee with black lace was standing in the doorway, oblivious to how one of the straps was slipping down his small shoulders.

"Er, uh…" I said eloquently, trying to regain my self-control. From my peripheral vision, I could see Sora stretching and moaning a little as he did so. (Why is it that he always does exactly what I _don't_ want him to do??)

"Oh, hi, Riri-san!" He smiled at me and put his hands behind his head. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Go change."

"E-excuse me?"

"J-just… go change… Please…"

Ten minute and a hundred deep breaths later, Sora opened the door, clad in a light blue summer dress and a smile. I blinked, overwhelmed by a new feeling.

"That dress…" I said, my voice detached from my body.

"Isn't it pretty? I found it in the wardrobe in this room. I'm so glad it fits." His words were wasted; my mind had wandered off to a different time.

"_Riku?" A bell-like voice broke me from my work. I didn't look up, but responded._

"_Hm, what is it?"_

_She walked over to me and hugged me from behind. "I think you need a nickname. Riku is just so plain, and Riku Leighton makes me sound like your mom. How about Leiku?"_

"_Leiku?" I laughed, putting down my pen. "Are you trying to make me sound like some kind of Hawaiian fruit?"_

_She laughed too. Her laughter had a melodic twinkle to it. "Fine, then how about… I know! You'll be Riri!"_

"_You can't be serious…" I groaned_

"_Of course I am, Riri. I'm serious about us." I turned around and was enveloped in a sea of light blue._

"Riri-san… Riri-san…"

Sora waved his hand in front of my face. Without thinking, I grabbed it, blinking profusely as I did so.

"You, uh…" I said, staring back at the equally surprised face in front of me. "W-we have to go to an interview today. Get ready and I'll meet you downstairs."

* * *

"Mother, we have to go _now_," I called up the stairs as I glanced at my watch. We had to be at the studio in five minutes. It took half an hour to get there.

"Just give me two minutes!"

"That's what you said an _hour_ ago!"

"Um, Riri-san, if I may," Sora whispered from next to me as he fiddled with over-sized the sunglasses on his head. "I don't think you should test her. Women are very touchy when it comes to-"

"WELL, EXCUSE ME FOR WANTING TO BE PRETTY FOR TELEVISION! WOULD YOU RATHER I GO NAKED? _WELL_, RIKU LEIGHTON AUSTERLITZ?"

I turned to Sora (who, might I add, had a distinct "I-told-you-so" look on his face). "Let's get out of here. Fast."

"But what about your-?" I cut him off by dragging him out of the foyer and into the garage. Fishing the keys out of my pocket with my free hand, I walked over to a silver Camry.

"This is your car?" Sora asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, what about it?" I asked, opening the passenger seat door for him.

"You would think that a man who lives in a house like this would drive something with a bit more… _je ne sais quoi_," he said getting in.

"You speak French, too?" I asked, not amused.

"Just drive," he said, smiling at me as he flipped the sunglasses down onto his nose from his head.

* * *

"… And we'll be back with a family close to my heart, the Austerlitz, after this commercial break," Demyx said into the camera. Yes, we were going to be interviewed by Demyx _on_ "Demyx, the Show." The 80's reject got up from his chair and ran backstage, where Sora and I were waiting.

"Well, whaddaya guys think?" He chirruped, bouncing up and down like the giddy schoolgirl he must've been in a past life. "I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?"

"Yes!" Sora said, nodding furiously, his hands clenched in front of him like he was meeting a celebrity. "Beyond awesome! A… Amazing!" He shouldn't have said that. Something sparked in Demyx's eyes, and he just about went ballistic.

"Amazing!" He yelled. "Yes! Finally, someone realizes just how amazing I really am! No more '80's-Reject Demyx' or 'Mullethead', but now, 'Demyx… The Amazing'!" I groaned. Sometimes, Demyx could be just as bad as Mother.

"Mr. Austerlitz, you have two minutes," a stage manager said as he walked by.

"Alright guys, so here's the deal." Demyx motioned to where the seats were positioned on stage. "I'll start talking, introducing the audience to what's already happened and stuff, and then, when I announce you guys, you'll walk out from the back. See ya in a few!" Demyx ran on to the stage, all smiles, and sat down in one of the plush armchairs.

"Hi, and welcome back to 'Demyx, the Show'! Now, I know you guys in the audience and all you at home have been wondering about the news with my brother and all the headlines he's been making, what with the Zeruche scandal and then the whole Japanese girlfriend deal. Well, here to talk, they're very close to my heart, Riku Aus-" Demyx was cut off by one of his assistants running out onto the stage. Even thought they were whispering, my proximity to the stage made it so I could here every single word.

"Um, Mr. Austerlitz, there's a situation out in the parking lot," the assistant muttered to Demyx as he adjusted his headset.

"Well, deal with it then!" Demyx hissed back, faking a smile to the audience members in the hopes that they wouldn't notice. (They did.)

"I would, but your father refuses to cooperate!"

"Daddy??" Demyx said, dropping the act as his face showed complete and utter horror.

"Yes, it seems your father has just arrived, and at the same time, a deer wandered onto the parking lot and he decided to… um… have carnal relations with it."

"HE RAPED BAMBI??"

The studio became deafeningly silent and I buried my face in my hands. Count on Demyx to make an awkward situation even _worse_.

To explain what happened in the next 24 hours, basically Mother showed up shortly after Father was detained by Demyx's staff, Mother gave him the keys to my car, Sora, Mother, and I were driven home by Vexen, and when we got home, Father had to sleep on the couch that night.

The weirdest part of all that, thought, was the car ride home. Sora and I were in the back seat together and Mother was in the passenger seat as Vexen drove. There was some kind of tension in that car as we sped down the Northway in deafening silence. (And by tension, I mean sexual tension.)

* * *

**A/N:** Fourth installment up and running! I have no idea where this series is going [except for like this vague sort of idea], so a question for all you readers! Would you rather see more RiSo development or more story development? [Yes, they're different.] Or if you have any suggestions, remarks, questions, let me hear them! Leave a review! [Roxie's inner mind rant, end.] Thanks to AxelsWaterBaby and axelXroxas342 for beta-ing and seeya next time! 8D


	5. In Which Riku and Sora Go On a Date

**Disclaimer:** Me? Own Kingdom Hearts? Nahhhh…

* * *

"Thanks for coming on such short notice, Vexen," I said, running my hand through my hair as I relaxed into the back seat of the car with Sora.

"Think nothing of it, Mr. Austerlitz," he said, his concentration solely on the road.

"Why are we leaving? Don't we have an interview to do?" Sora asked, ever the oblivious one.

"Er, that's been cut short, honey," Mother said from the front seat. Something about his voice was strained and un-Mother-ish.

"Aw…" He whined, pouting a little. (Did the backseat just get a little hotter? Vexen needs to turn up the air conditioner...) "And it looked like so much fun!"

"Trust me, you aren't missing anything worthwhile," I said, resting my head against the window. I could feel the grimace forming on my face as I thought about the press conferences that would have to be held and the days inside we as a family would have to spend. (There go my chances at landing that contract… Damn Demyx and his inability to be subtle. )

"Still, that would've been my first time on TV…" the brunette replied dreamily.

"It's nothing special," Mother countered hastily. "Are we there yet? Take the Northway; we'll get home sooner."

"If I may be so bold, Mrs. Austerlitz," Vexen interjected. "Please don't backseat drive. I get enough of that from your son." He laughed and I rolled my eyes, but was ever-so slightly amused.

"Well, _my_ son just wants to ensure his safety, so kindly shut up and die—er, drive," Mother snapped. I was broken from my momentary trance of self-pity as I stared at him with shock. Mother was demanding, but never flat-out nasty to anyone, really.

"Hm, would you like that…" Vexen muttered just loudly enough for everyone in the car to hear. (Except for maybe Sora. You can never tell with him.)

That's when all hell broke loose.

"_Austerlitz-okaa-san_, are you okay? You're turning red!"

"Vexen, pull over, I think Mother's about to—"

There was a sickening sound of eggs Benedict finding their way back up and onto my shoes and a high-pitched, womanly scream.

* * *

"_Riri… Riri…_" A soft voice was calling to me. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt like they'd turned to lead.

"_Riri… Wake up, please…_"

The voice was fading.

"D… Don't go…" I murmured, the blackness fading to bright white as a brunette figure sat in front of me. I inhaled quickly.

"You're—!" I cut myself off when my vision cleared and Sora was hovering above me about two inches from my face.

"Ah, you're awake!" Sora said, sitting up straight and clapping his hands together in an amused fashion.

"Er… It would seem so," I said, sitting up as well. Looking around, I was on the couch in my parents' house. Sora and I were the only two beings in the entire room, if not the entire house, with the eerie stillness that had blanketed it.

"You're probably wondering what happened," Sora said, putting his hands behind his head as he smiled at me. "Well, your mommy got sick on your shoes and you screamed. Then you fainted."

I grimaced. "Uh, I can explain everything—" Sora cut me off by putting his finger to my lips.

"You need to take a break." He held up my PDA. (That's personal digital assistant, _not _public display of affection, thank you very much.) "I found this in your pants when I went to change you, and I can safely say that I've never seen-"

"You _changed_ me??" I sputtered. (It's like he was _trying_ to kill me.)

"I was gentle…" Sora said, looking down like a scolded child. I scratched my cheek, not sure how to deal with the situation.

"Er… Ah… Th-thank you…?" I said, avoiding any stares from those baby blues.

"No problem, Riri," he said with a smile. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, right!" He turned his attention to my PDA and after a couple taps, shoved it in my face.

"… That would be my weekly plans," I said, not sure where he was going with this.

"Exactly! And what does each day say?"

"It differs with each day, really. Like tomorrow I have a meeting with some executives from Wonderland Enterprises to go over—"

"You're working everyday!" Sora interrupted, replacing the PDA with his face. "_Okaa-san_ and I were talking about it, and we both decided that you need a vacation, so," he threw the PDA over his shoulder. It landed in Demyx's aquarium, where my heart sunk just as the handheld that had basically my entire life on it did. "Let's go on a date!"

"E-_excuse me_??"

"Why do you not want to?" Sora looked down, about ready to cry. "Is it because I'm not pretty enough? It's only natural that someone as successful as yourself would want only the best…" He sniffed.

"N-no, it's not that!" I said, waving my hands in front of me frantically. "You just… caught me off guard, that's all…"

"So we're going on a date?"

"…" I sighed. I was fighting a losing battle. "I'll go get my keys…"

"Yay! You're the best, _Riri-chuu_!"

So it was with that Sora and I ended up at the park for a picnic.

"It's so nice out, don't you think?" Sora said, holding his arms out like he was embracing the sunlight.

"Hn…" I said, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as I hid behind a newspaper.

"… Are you alright, _Riri-chuu_? … You didn't forget to take your laxatives, did you? Maybe I shouldn't have tossed your PDA…"

I paled. "Wh… wha?"

Sora held up a finger in a proclamatory fashion. "It said 2:35 PM; take laxatives as prescribed by doctor—"

I slapped my hand over Sora's mouth. "Please… just be quiet." Just by his eyes, I could tell he was about to cry again. I had to think of something. Fast.

"I, er…" I stuttered. Then it hit me as I softened my tone and gazed at the brunette. "Love is blind, so just listen, and you'll be able to hear my heart beating for you." (Apparently, the acting classes Mother had me take in my younger years actually _would_ come in handy.) Sora's eyes widened as his face turned the color of the crimson checkered picnic blanket we were situated on.

"D-do you want a Scribbler?" Sora asked, holding out one of the pencil-shaped ice creams out to me at an arm's length.

"Dessert first?" I said, arching one of my eyebrows at him. (Not that it mattered; he wasn't looking at me anyway. … If I do say so myself, I love how the tables have turned.)

"If we don't eat them now, they'll melt…"

"Ah, touché," I said, taking the ice cream and leaning back on my elbows. "So, you know basically everything and then some about me, but I've just realized that I know nothing about you." I glanced over at Sora. He was sitting up straight, holding the popsicle with two hands, a pensive look on his face.

"Well, I have a brother," he said, nodding his head as he said so, as if verifying the fact.

"And your parents?"

Sora looked down, a bittersweet smile on his face. "I never knew my dad, and my mom couldn't support the two of us."

"Oh…" I said, dumbfounded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Sora shook his head and smiled at me. "No, I know all of your secrets, so why shouldn't you know some about me?"

_You don't even know the half of it…_

"Besides," Sora said, interrupting my thoughts. Staring at the trees off on the horizon, he smiled and took a bite out of his ice cream. "That doesn't matter anymore since you're my family now. And _Demyx-nii_, _Otto-san_, _Okaa-san_… I'm really happy here." There was something bittersweet about his tone, but before I could ask anything further, a familiar whine was heard.

"R-_RIIIIIRIIIII_!"

I brought my palm to my forehead and shook my head. Of _course_ he'd managed to find his way here when everything was just starting to go well.

"_Demyx-nii_!" Sora squealed, tackling Mullethead to the ground. "Aw, what's wrong?"

"Shouldn't you be at a press conference or something?" I asked, rubbing my temples, unable to look at him. (What god have I angered to be cursed with such a brother?)

"Nah, those things are for lamers," Demyx said jovially, forming an L on his forehead with his thumb and index finger. "But anyways, where was I? Oh, right." He proceeded to cry and cling onto Sora again. "It was terrible, Lala-chan! I—!"

"_Lala-chan_?" I asked, giving Demyx a look.

"You know," he said. "So_ra_, _Ra _becomes _La_… Oh, wait, you don't speak Japanese." It was like he _wanted_ me to pummel his head into the ground.

"Now, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted—" Insert a Care-Bear-glare from Demyx here "—I was trying to say that—Oh, my God, you had Scribblers without me??"

"Hm?" I said, flicking the remaining stick at him. It hit him right in the forehead with a soft _smack!_ "… Yup."

Demyx's eyes watered as a look of defiance crossed his face. "Fine then! I'm leaving!" He stood up, but Sora was still clinging to the bottom of his white skinny jeans. (Tight, white leather + Demyx = Not a pretty sight.)

"No, _Demyx-nii_, don't leave!" Sora pleaded, pouting.

"I'll be back for you later, _Lala-chan_!" And with that, the dipshit left. Hallelujah.

* * *

**A/N: **Fifth chapter! And here is the relationship development that Light Within Darkness wanted. (Because apparently nobody else reads these things… .___.;;) And just to prove that I do read the comments, here's a big ol' thank you to:

**Light Within Darkness**, **AxelsWaterBaby**, … [Who are you?? D:], Mah Favorite Little Eight Grader :3, Ishka-chan, spanksizzle27, axelXroxas342, **Nekotsubasa**, and Emerald Moonrose! [**Bold **just means they've commented more than once.]

And extra thank you to axelXroxas342 [who's making a comeback as my beta! 8D] and AxelsWaterBaby for beta-ing, as always. 8D

Now, before I end this author note rant, I'd just like to say that I'm accepting requests for ficlet series, so if you want one, just go to my profile, fill out the form, and send it to me! [But act quickly since these won't be out forever because I have a life too. 8D]

Roxie's author note rant, end. Seeya next time!


	6. In Which Riku is Run Over

**Disclaimer! **I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts is not mine, blah blah blahh...

* * *

In the few minutes after Demyx had left, the following things happened:

First off, I was run over by a checkered motorized scooter.

Secondly, the rider of the checkered scooter sat down and started eating the food Sora and I had painstakingly prepared.

Thirdly, said rider looked exactly like Sora, minus the blonde hair, deadpanned expression on his face, and men's attire.

"_O-otoutou!_" Sora stuttered. "_Daijoubu?? Nani o shiteru no??"_

"… _Ah, ohayo, ani. O genki desuka?"_

As this international exchange went on, I was still buried into the ground by the weight of the scooter, forgotten by Sora and his one-track mind. I flailed, trying to draw attention to myself to get this _stupid scooter_ off me so I could find this guy and kick his—

Yeah, you get the point.

"Ahh, Riri-san!" Sora said, remembering my presence. Mounting the scooter, he put it in reverse, freeing me from my metal-and-earth coffin. I sat up and spit a tuft of grass out of my mouth, sending the blades into a shower of green.

"Excuse me, _sir_." I turned to the owner of the scooter, my voice dripping with restrained anger. I momentarily blanked once I saw his face. That nose, those eyes, those lips—!

"_Sandowichu ga oishi desu," _the familiar stranger said in a monotone as he took another bite of the sandwich.

"S-Sora…" I said warily, my eyes never leaving his blonde carbon-copy. "W-who is this?" Sora scratched the back of his. I could tell by his anxious expression that he was debating on telling me.

"He's my… erm… my brother," came the defeated reply.

"And why is he here?"

"…"

"Well?"

"He's kinda sorta being hunted down by the mafia."

I blinked. Sora continued to avoid my gaze and his brother continued to devour everything in sight.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head quickly. "I thought you just said the _mafia_ was after him."

"They are…" The brunette murmured, staring down at his hands folded quietly in his lap, not unlike a schoolgirl being reprimanded by her teacher. I looked over at the blonde, still blinking incredulously. He was still eating, his familiar blue eyes at half-mast (Was he always like that or did he just happen to take something that day?) as he nonchalantly nodded at me, a half eaten pie in his small hands.

"I mean no offense by this," I started, "but how can he be so calm if a group of menacing Japanese men are trying to kill him?"

"Italian," was Sora's reply.

"Excuse me?"

"You said Japanese men, but they're Italian." I groaned. Like that helped; now this tiny matter was on an _international_ level. (I knew I should've just stayed home today.)

"And Roxas is usually really calm. Watch." Sora then proceeded to demonstrate the blonde's utter apathy by slapping him (rather hard, I must admit) across the face so that Roxas was left staring in the opposite direction.

"… Ah," was all the blonde said, red handprint forming on his cheek as he turned his head forward and proceeded to drink the remaining lemonade straight from the pitcher. I blanched. (You would think he'd have just a _little _more reaction to getting slapped in the face than just, "… Ah.")

"Haha! I'm back, bitches!"

_Oh, no…_

"Back and better than ever, that is!"

_I will donate any amount of money if he just _doesn't_ show up right now…_

"Because _I _have a Scribbler! But you don't get any because you're bitches! Haha! Haha! … Ha." Demyx stood their awkwardly, frozen in his triumphant position where he held the Scribbler up in the air like he'd just found the Holy Grail.

"… Are you quite done?" I asked, rubbing my temple as I tried to quell my thoughts of bloodshed and death to a certain mullet head.

"Um, _Demyx-nii_, Roxas wanted me to tell you you're standing in the coleslaw…" The brunette said. Demyx looked down. His feet were, in fact, lodged in the bowl of coleslaw our chef had tediously prepared. The mullet head let out a womanly scream and fell over backwards, Scribbler flying out of his hands and expertly caught by Roxas (who, of course, ate it).

"NOT ON MY NEW SHOES!"

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly is Roxas being pursued by the mafia?" I asked, once all four of us had situated ourselves back at Austerlitz Manor. We were seated in the living room, Demyx mourning over his (now ruined) white leather boots in front of the fireplace, Roxas in Father's favorite overstuffed armchair swallowing a turkey and stuffing, and Sora and I on the couch.

Sora scratched his head, the intense thought process going on in his head clear on his face. "Well, it's a long story, really…"

"I have time," I said, leaning back into the couch.

Sora tilted his head to the right. "What about your work?" My work. I'd completely forgotten all about it up until now.

"It can wait," I said, motioning for the brunette to continue. He took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling in a contemplative fashion.

"Where to start, where to start…" He murmured, more to himself than for my benefit. "Well, after our mother gave Roxas and me up, we were taken in by this man at a tea house. We never knew his name, so we just called him The King." Sora laughed; a bittersweet sort of sound. "He sure lived up to the name," he muttered, again, more to himself than to me or anyone else in that room. I was intrigued, but my better judgment told me to let it rest until the story was finished.

"He taught me how to be a geisha, since I was more feminine than Roxas was," Sora continued, the pensive look still reflected in the azure glass of his eyes. His voice suddenly dropped with his head as he stared at his hands folded in his lap. "He was really the only father figure I ever knew… But fathers don't do what he did to their children." Sirens were ringing in my head as I realized I was treading on sensitive ground.

"Ah, Sora," I said softly, holding my hands out in front of me. "Excuse me for interrupting, but I just wanted to know why Roxas was here, not your life story…" By the look on Sora's face when his head whipped towards me, I could tell that was the exact _wrong _thing to say. The tension in the room was felt by all; Demyx had stopped crying, Roxas had stopped eating, and I do believe I stopped breathing the moment those azure mirrors broke and each shard pierced the chambers of my heart.

"I think… I think I need to go," Sora murmured before shoving both my hands and my attempts to explain myself away. With a sob and the sound of fleeting feet, the room was filled with one less body, as the words last muttered from the brunette's mouth rang in my ears, and my ears alone.

"_You've changed."_

_

* * *

_**A/N: **I've been told I can't write angst. To that, I say, "Well, duh. Someone had a bowl of stupid today." And yet, somehow this chappie came out angstier than I had hoped for. :/ Ahh well, first real update in a while! 8Db Until the next chappie, my lovelies. :J


	7. In Which Riku Makes Amends

**Disclaimer! **I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Nope. Now I know how Xemnas feels. :/

* * *

"You screwed up big time, little brother," Demyx preached to me, taking the spot on the couch where Sora's petite frame had once been.

"I don't see what I've done wrong—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Sometimes," Demyx said, looking very serious as he voiced his thoughts, "it doesn't matter whether _you_ think your right, but whether you care more about your pride or the person whom you offended." I blinked. Demyx seemed to read my thoughts, letting an all-knowing smirk slide onto his face. "I have my moments," was all he said before he got up and walked out of the room, Roxas tailing right behind him.

It must've been several hours I sat on that couch contemplating what my older brother had said. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was being too self-centered and not thinking about Sora and _his_ feelings and _his_ problems. He was obviously talking about a touchy subject when I just brushed it off like it was nothing. It obviously affected him more than I would ever know. I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Why was I such an idiot? Why couldn't I be suave or charming like Mother believed me to be? These were questions to be answered later. First, I had to find Sora.

* * *

It had been two hours, and Sora still hadn't revealed his hiding spot to me. I had a sinking feeling that he had left the manor, but then again, there were parts of it even _I _didn't know about. Amidst my deep thought, two blondes walked back into the living room, sitting down on either side of me. I looked to each side at both of them and did a double-take at Sora's brother.

"Roxas?" I asked, eyebrow arched.

"_Hai?_" Roxas responded, his eyes at half-mast like always.

"Why do you have a black eye?"

"Well," Demyx said, cutting into our conversation. "Me and Blondie were watching Bill Nye, and one of the experiments on there was taking a cup and putting it to someone's chest to listen to her heart!"

"_Her?_" I didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah! 'Cause the kid doing the experiment was a guy and he was holding up a cup to this girl's chest, so we wanted to be science guys, but we didn't have any cups, so Roxas just went up to Larxene and-"

I didn't need to hear any more to figure out what had happened to our overseas friend. Of course Demyx would get the new arrival mixed up with his shenanigans. That was just his cup of tea—

"And we found Sora."

I automatically looked at Demyx, negative thoughts completely forgotten.

"Where??" I asked, a little more desperately than I would've liked.

"He's at the park, sitting on one of the swings in the playground," the older blonde said nonchalantly. I was already out the door the minute he said "park".

* * *

"Sora! SORA!" Even from my distance, I saw Sora's fragile frame flinch at the sound of my voice. I ran towards the swings, breathing heavily as I grabbed onto the chain of the swing next to his for support.

"I have nothing to say to you." Sora didn't even look up at me.

"Please, just come back," I begged between breaths. "I know you're mad, and I'm sorry, but Demyx and Roxas are waiting back home and—"

"What am I to you?"

I found myself at a loss for words. What _was_ Sora to me? Was he my friend? Was he not? Was he more? All I could do was stare at the heartbroken brunette as I tried to come up with the best answer.

"I… I don't know…" Was all I could say.

"That's not good enough."

"You're… you're my friend—"

"Don't lie."

I audibly gasped. I don't know why I did; there was nothing shocking about Sora's statement, for I telling the truth.

Or at least, I thought I was.

"I'm… I'm not lying," I said softly as I tried to get Sora to look at me. "You're my friend."

Baby blues met my sea green eyes. "Then why did you tell _okaa-san_ we're married? Are you using me, _Austerlitz-sama_?"

"No, I would never—!"

"Then what am I, _Auterlitz-sama_?" I couldn't come up with an answer. Or rather, I could, but I wouldn't voice it. Something in the back of my mind wouldn't let me.

"See?? That's your problem!" Sora yelled, seemingly reading my mind. Thunder had just started to rumble above head.

"Sora," I pleaded, looking up apprehensively at the sky. "Can we please continue this conversation indoors?"

"I pine and I pine after you, hoping you might realize that, yes, I've fallen for you, and quite hard, I might add!" Sora's baby blues were livid now. "And right as I start to think that maybe you feel the same for me to, you prove to me that in reality, you're so scared of getting hurt that you build up this wall and expect people to go the whole nine yards to try and get over it!" The brunette yelled, ignoring my earlier comment. Rain was now starting to fall, first in trickles, and then in showers. But Sora kept going. "And since you think that you're on some high plane than the rest of us, you think that everyone on this earth should be exactly like you; unhappy and heartless!" I blinked, taken aback at what Sora had just yelled at me. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look. You think that you're such an enigma that I can't figure you out, but I've read you like a book. You're just a jaded, unfeeling monster, and I—!"

I had grown tired of listening to Sora talk, watching his angel-like lips form these hateful words towards me. Letting go for the first time in a long time, I let my instincts take over. I took a step towards the rain soaked brunette and cradled his face in both of my hands. I leaned downward and let the pressure of my lips on his articulate all the words I couldn't speak. We stayed there for what felt like an eternity, but were probably just several seconds.

"_A… Austerlitz-sama…_" Sora breathed as our lips parted, his breath visible in the cold air. He stared down at my lips, shaking ever-so slightly from the cold.

"_That isn't my name,_" I murmured back, tilting his chin upward to smile into his eyes. Cerulean orbs beamed back into mine.

"… _Riri-san._"

All the anger and the chill of the rain washed away as I crossed the threshold into my own little world as our lips met once more.

A better world.

A happier world.

A world with Sora.

_Click._

"_Don't move, or I'll blow your head off, signore."_

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **This chappie isn't beta'd, and neither was the last one, so please excuse any mechanics mistakes, rushed plotline, or anything else you aren't happy with. Dx

But on a totally different note, ROXIE LIKES FLUFF, OH YES SHE DOES~ ... Too bad it gets ruined, though. (Those darn cliff hangers.)

OH WELL~ UNTIL NEXT TIME, MY LOVELY HAREM~ (Which, at this rate, will be soon! :D)


	8. In Which Demyx Finally Gets Some

**Disclaimer! **Kingdom Hearts is yet to be mine. Also, the plural of moose is actually just straight up moose.

* * *

"… Excuse me?" I said, looking over my shoulder with an arched eyebrow. Sora was still in my arms, and I could feel him trembling. Something was wrong.

"_Buon pomeriggio, signore,_" the intruder said. He was a good head taller than I was, but then again, his wild red _mane_ (for lack of better words) could've made him look bigger than he truly was. Clad in an expensive-looking suit, green eyes shined from the shadow cast by his fedora. (I could've sworn there was a glint of fire in those eyes.)

"Ah, _scusi_, where are my manners?" The suit-clad ginger said, his words contradicted by the bloodlust in his eyes. "I'm Axel, and I'm here for your…" He gave Sora and I a pointed look. "… _Amica_."

"So _you're _this mafia that Sora has been talking so much about!" I marveled, turning back to the cross-dressing brunette in my arms. "Look, Sora, it's a distraction!" I pointed the opposite way and just as I had expected, Axel's eyes averted from us to this so-called "distraction". That gave us two seconds to do what I do best.

Run.

* * *

_Briiiiiing. Briiiiiiing._

_Click!_

_"Eiwob Divad has blessed this call. May I ask who it is?"_ The person on the other line said.

"Demyx!" I yelled into the phone. "I need you to get the car and drive down towards Main Street. If you see a brunette in a pink dress getting a piggy back ride from someone running like crazy, you've got the right people."

"_Wait, what's this all abou—?_"

_Click._

* * *

I'd been running with Sora on my back for at least thirty minutes. I'd been okay the first twenty, but it was around twenty-five that I started to tire. (Which, of course, wasn't exactly the greatest thing, considering we were being chased by a p.o.'d ginger.)

"_Riri-san_, you shouldn't wear yourself out!" Sora said from on my back. He looked over his shoulder and let out a yelp. "But please run a little faster! He's right behind—!"

"_GET IN THE CAR!"_

Our heads whipped to the right to see Demyx at the wheel of a bright yellow Camero with the hood down as Roxas stood victoriously in the back seat like some kind of superhero. I skid to a halt and maneuvered into the backseat with Roxas, Sora still latched to my back like a koala. But instead of Demyx driving off like I planned he would, he instead got out of the van and stood right in front of Axel (who, by the way, had been less than a yard away).

"So you're trying to take Blondie back to your mother ship?" Demyx asked, arching an eyebrow at the Mafioso. I groaned.

_Dear Lord in the sky, if this hit man kills my brother, please let him go painlessly…_

"This _'Blondie'_ that you speak of is late in his payments," Axel said, his Italian accent slowly coming out more and more.

"How about you forget about _that_ blondie and just take me instead?" the mullet head asked, latching onto Axel's arm. The ginger flinched and stared at Demyx incredulously.

"Perché…?"

"I ask for so little," the 32-year-old blonde started. "Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." Demyx caressed Axel's cheek as he spoke. My palm met my head as I shook it slowly. He was quoting _Labyrinth _for this… this mafia man! (He must've _really_ liked him… Despite the whole "I'm-trying-to-kill-your-friend" thing…)

"I don't _want _you to be my slave!" Axel yelled, swatting Demyx's hand away as he freed his arm and took a step back. "I don't even know you! You mean nothing to me! _Nothing_!"

"Nothing, tra la la?" The blonde said, closing the space between him and the redhead Mafioso. "How you turn my world, you precious thing…" The space between their _faces _was now closing.

"Gyahhh!" Axel screamed as he basically clawed his way to freedom. "Stay _away _from me, y-you… you _homo_!" The glare that he was giving Demyx was a mix of hatred and fear.

"Now that's just plain rude!" The blonde said with a pout. Walking over to Axel, his hard gaze softened. "Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel." He was about to stroke Axel's cheek again, but during this 5-minute tribute to David Bowie, Axel had learned that fighting back would just be digging an even deeper grave for himself.

That's probably why he decided to run at full speed in the opposite direction of the mullet head, screaming what sounded like (and probably was) Italian profanity. Four pairs of eyes watched him fade into the sunset; two were deliriously happy at their good fortune, one was rather confused with the entire situation, and the final pair was on the verge of heartbroken tears.

"Was it something I said…?" Was all Demyx managed to choke out before I loaded Demyx into the back seat with Roxas, and with Sora in the passenger seat and me driving, sped off down Main Street.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry its so short! I just wanted to get a chappie out there while I had the time. D: Good luck dealing with the daylight saving and stay beautiful, my lovely harem~ 8D


	9. In Which Everything is Resolved

**Disclaimer! **I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, AkuDemy would be canon, Xemnas would be a recovering alcoholic, and Saix would have meth problems because the moon broke up with him. Oh, and there would be a dance number somewhere in there by someone other than the Dusks.

* * *

"Do you remember when he just ran away? He looked so scared!" Sora said with a giggle as we entered the Austerlitz Manor. I smiled, knowing that inside, Demyx was dying little by little with each word that came out of Sora's mouth about the past three hours.

"I'mma let you finish," Roxas said shortly as he entered the kitchen, no doubt for his next meal. (Demyx had taken it upon himself to teach him "Basic English" while Sora and I were out. I don't think he even knows what he's saying, to be honest, but back to the story.)

"Mommy!" Demyx called out, on the verge of tears once more. "Moooommy!!" There was no answer, minus the returning echoes of Demyx's pitiful wails.

"Why isn't she here??" Demyx whined once more.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to answer you," I offered.

"And why would she do that?"

"Because she hates you," I said sarcastically.

Demyx's lower lip started quivering.

Oh shi—

"MY MOMMY HATES ME!!" Demyx screamed, seating himself on the floor as he thrashed his arms and legs. "I'M A DISGRACE!! THE MATCHMAKER WAS RIGHT; I MAY LOOK LIKE A BRIDE, BUT I'LL NEVER BRING MY FAMILY HONOR!! WHERE'S MY FREAKING MUSHU WHEN I NEED HIM?? LUCKY CRICKET! LUCKY CRICKEEEEET!"

When Demyx is sad, he cries. When Demyx is _very_ sad, he makes Disney references without even realizing it. (You be the judge of what movie it is. I stopped caring in third grade after his rant about how the Church of Rock Lee decreed that every Tuesday was Green Leotard Tuesday. A hyperactive mullet head in green spandex is the _last _thing I want to wake up to.)

"I don't think you're a disgrace, _Demyx-nii_," Sora consoled, patting Ol' Mullet Head's shoulder.

"Really?" He said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Playa be trippin'," Roxas said, exiting the kitchen with a crockpot full of pears. Demyx's eyes filled with tears as his lip quivered again and all hell broke loose for the umpteenth time this week.

But just then, the mail came.

The mail, being so much more important than my near-rabid brother, was what I turned my attention to as it fell through the slot in the door into a neat pile on the floor. Upon inspection, four were for Father, three were for Demyx, and—

A letter from Vexen addressed to Mother?

Normally, I'm not one to pry, but this was an odd predicament. (As if a wailing 32-year-old singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" in the fetal position trying to be comforted by a cross-dresssing geisha and a ghetto-fied bottomless pit eating pears out of a crockpot wasn't odd. Nope. Not at the Austerlitz Manor.) Carefully opening the letter so I would be able to reseal it, I peered at the letter's content.

_Dearest Queen of my Universe,_

_I know you're unsure your feelings, but I know my love is one moment, one feeling. It has always been that way; then and now. Perhaps to you, I am a little too boring, too kind. I may not be as successful as him, or as good-looking as him, but my heart beats for you and only you. Although it's such a waste, I know that from me you can not accept this sincere love. So I shall part with the words left in my breaking heart._

_I love you._

_Forever yours,_

_Your Ice Ice Baby_

I stared at the letter, utterly dumbfounded. I read the letter a second time, and then a third, still unable to grasp at the gravity of the letter.

"Riri, are you okay?" A small voice said as a pair of arms wrapped around my torso from behind.

"Call Mother."

"What? What's going on? Is something wro—"

"Just… call her." She was going to have a _lot_ of explaining to do.

* * *

It was a familiar scene. The whole gang was seated on the couches in the living room, but this time, I was the one pacing back and forth in front of a rather ashamed looking Mother.

"How long?" I asked, keeping my gaze squarely on a particular design in the Persian rugs.

"I don't know what you're talking abou—" Mother started, but the glare I sent him shut him up rather quickly.

"Don't you _dare _lie to me," I said, showing him the letter. "I found this in the mail today. Don't think I didn't read it; I'm not above that. So I'm going to ask you a second time; _how long?_" I grabbed Mother by the lapels of his Burberry peacoat.

"Riri, you're going too far!"

I turned around, only to see Sora standing up, a shaken look on his puerile face.

"_Okaa-san… _is your mom," he murmured. "But _Okaa-san_ is also human; _Okaa-san_ makes mistakes just like you and I do." Azure orbs found their way to my seething green ones. "Please, Riri, don't… Don't be like this."

"_Don't be like this, Riku. I… I didn't mean to…"_

I blinked at the sudden flashback.

And then I did something that I told myself I wouldn't do again.

I hit him.

* * *

I used to be engaged.

I used to be engaged to a wonderful interior designer by the name of Olette Serafica.

I was an up-and-coming rookie prosecutor back then. Many people had faith in me. And I had faith in those people.

But most of all, I had faith in Olette.

She was everything my parents had ever wanted for me; successful, well-mannered, charismatic, and beautiful.

But I only saw the girl I loved. The girl I wanted to spend my forever with.

She was the one to show me that forever doesn't last that long.

Olette ran off with a business man the night before our wedding, leaving me with nothing more than a letter saying that she was sorry, but she couldn't marry me. I'd found out that she'd been having an affair with him and I lost all control and hit her. Three months later, her body was found in that business man's car at the bottom of a lake. I was assigned the case, but I lost, and that man got away with murder.

I wonder if she would've stayed if I hadn't lost my temper. I wonder if she would've been happy if I'd just forgiven her and we had gotten married. I wonder if she would've lived if I hadn't met her.

All these things… They are my regrets, and they are what make me who I am today.

But my biggest regret?

Letting someone like Sora slip through my fingers.

* * *

"Riku! Riku, I found you!"

I ripped my gaze from the setting sun and stared at the growing figure that was running towards me.

"S-Sora…" I breathed, utterly shocked.

"Riku!" Sora fell to his knees in front of me, grabbing my hands as he did so. "Its Riku. Riku's here…" He said more to himself than me. Then, his gaze turned upwards towards my face. "I looked for you!"

"Come on, Sora, pull it together," I said, resisting the urge to kneel down and console him.

"I looked everywhere for you!" He said, pellucid tears streaming down his face.

I avoided his gaze. "I didn't want you to find me. You saw who I am back there. I'm violent and rowdy and I just… It isn't the first time this has happened. I wouldn't blame you for leaving me. I'm not a good person to be around."

"You're wrong."

My eyes widened ever-so slightly at this remark. Sora stood up and took my face in his small hands, forcing me to face him.

"Hey. Look at me," he said, looking into my eyes. "I don't care who you think you are; I know you. _Okaa-san_ told me what happened between you and that woman, but that doesn't change anything. You're a hardworking business man, a faithful son, a silly kid brother…" He smiled. "And a wonderful fiancé."

I stared at him for the longest time.

Then, a miracle.

I smiled and put my hand on top of his, holding it to my face.

We didn't need any other words. We could just stand there in our entirety and know what the other was thinking;

_I love you._

"… Oh, and Riri?"

"Yes?"

"Not to ruin the moment, but Demyx was wondering if you could pick up a steak for the black eye you gave him."

I laughed and smiled. "Will do."

* * *

We were married the following month. I didn't want a big affair, but when Mother, Demyx, and now Sora team up, it's really quite hard to stop them. Uncle Luxord from the Netherlands flew in with his religious documentation that he printed off the internet for five dollars, so he was both our priest _and_ our bartender. ("Just because we have copious amounts of money, Riku Leighton, does _not_ mean that we should spend it recklessly!") Demyx was my best man and Roxas was the maidman of honor. Family from all reaches of the planet poured in. Distant cousins that I didn't even know existed came and congratulated Sora and me.

But there was one more guest I wanted Sora to meet.

"Sora," I said, leading him to one of the tables in the far corner of the reception room. "I'd like you to meet—"

"_O… Okaa-san?_" His voice broke at the sight of his long-lost mother. She smiled at him and nodded, tears in her eyes.

"But… But Riri…" Sora breathed. "How…?"

I smiled and looked at him in the eyes. "It's amazing who you can find on the internet."

Sora kissed me and ran to his mother, speaking rapid-fire Japanese to the woman he'd missed for so long.

* * *

Mother explained that Vexen was an old flame from high school that still had feelings for her. Mother had kindly rejected Vexen, but he still found ways to get to him. Vexen was promptly fired from my staff and replaced with his studious niece, Namine. Mother and Father are now still very much in love and as quirky as ever.

Roxas became a professional food fighter. He was ranked number one for eleven months until bad takeout sidelined him for a year. In that time, he learned _actual _English from Namine. They'll be married later this month.

Demyx never did see Axel again, but started a lucrative writing career as the author of a series of relationship books titled _Demyx's Dating Service_. He's now dating his editor, a rather stoic fellow by the name of Zexion. Go figure.

As for Sora and me, we adopted three children, two boys and one girl, named Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Ven looks oddly like Roxas, despite being adopted, but they all are a bit eccentric, seeing as they're Austerlitzes. Sora and Roxas still maintain connections with their mother and she visits us from time to time. The children love her.

* * *

Before Sora had come into my life, I had no concept of what love was. I thought it was just a feeling that was felt and then went away with time.

However, Sora proved me wrong. With his love and acceptance, my pessimistic thoughts of before were just a lie I told myself to keep the wall around my heart. Now that wall is nothing more than an outline of what it used to be;

A deceiving misconception.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **Oh, my goodness! It's over! In the words of AxelsWaterBaby, "Feels like the end of an era, eh?" It seriously does, though. Sorry I couldn't stretch this out to more than ten chapters. Dx Maybe I'll create a series later that goes in depth or something. But only if you guys want it. (And if time permits. Schedules and finals are a _royal_ pain in the ass.) The ending's a little cliche, but I hope you guys like it anyway! Thank you to everyone who's read, commented, favorited, alerted, and all that other stuff! You have no idea how much I appreciate it. :J

Thanks again, my lovely harem! It's been swell. :D


	10. In Which Roxie Butts In

Hello, my lovely harem~~

Roxie here with exciting news! You ready? Here it is!

I'm rewriting _A Deceiving Misconception_!

I don't really like how it ended and the plot!bunnies have pretty much mind!fuck'd each other until a legitimate storyline has come out of this, so if you liked how it is now, you most likely will love the revamped version!

So rate, review, and tell me what you'd like to see! (Because, y'know, I love pleasing my harem~~ ;D)

So good day to all of you and I shall be seeing you shortly.

Your best friend with benefits,

- Roxie


End file.
